The original formal reading of one's charges in court is called:

• A. Indictment
• B. Arraignment
• C. Arrest
• D. Plea

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is the point in criminal procedure when a defendant first faces the charges in court. That moment is the arraignment, where the specific charges are formally read, and the defendant is asked to enter a plea. This proceeding marks the official notification to the defendant about what they’re being charged with and sets the stage for how the case will move forward, including whether a lawyer is needed, bail decisions, and the entry of a plea.

An indictment, by contrast, is a formal accusation issued by a grand jury that brings charges, but it isn’t the court hearing where charges are read aloud to the defendant. An arrest is simply the act of detaining someone, not the judicial reading of charges. A plea is the defendant’s answer to the charges, which occurs during the arraignment, not the act of presenting the charges themselves.

So the reading of charges in court during that initial appearance aligns with arraignment.